=Distribution.=--Delaware, southern Indiana, Missouri, south to Florida
and west to Texas. In Indiana it is believed that its distribution is
pretty well known and well defined. It is an inhabitant of low wet
woods, although large trees may be found in fairly dry woods which have
been made dry by drainage. In discussing the distribution it must be
remembered that this species was reported as _Quercus Prinus_ before the
sixth edition of Gray's Manual which was published in 1890. Gorby's[35]
reference to Miami County should be ignored, because he compiled his
list of trees from a list of common names to which he appended the
scientific names. His list includes several species which are not
native, and his water willow (_Dianthera americana_) is an herbaceous
plant. Wilson's[36] report for Hamilton County I believe also to be an
error. Wilson preserved no specimen. Since Hamilton County has no cow
oak habitat, and Wilson was not acquainted with the species, I think
this reference should be transferred to the broad-leaf form of _Quercus
Muhlenbergii_. The author has collected and distributed authentic
specimens from a point 2-1/2 miles southwest of Napoleon in Ripley
County. This species is reported by Meyncke for Franklin County as
scarce, and by Collins for Dearborn County. Since the habitat of the
species is found in these counties, it is fair to admit them into the
range of the species. This species is a frequent to a very common tree
in the flats of Clark, Scott, Jefferson, Jackson, Jennings, and Ripley
Counties, where it is usually associated with beech and sweet gum. It is
now known to range as far north as the northern parts of Jackson,
Jennings and Ripley Counties. It is an infrequent tree of the Lower
Wabash Valley as far north as southern Knox County and no doubt followed
eastward along White River. It follows the Ohio River eastward at least
to a point six miles east of Grandview in Spencer County. It no doubt
was an occasional tree along the Ohio River up to Dearborn County. It
has also been reported by Aiken for Hamilton County, Ohio. In the Lower
Wabash Valley it is associated with Spanish and pin oak.
=Remarks.=--Wood and uses similar to white oak. In the flats of
southeastern Indiana it is generally called white oak, and in some
places it is known as bur oak. It grows very rapidly and to a large
size. A tree was measured in 1919 in the Klein woods about 4 miles north
of North Vernon that was 3.57 meters (11 feet, 7 inches) in
circumference, breast high, and was estimated to be 15 m. (50 feet) to
the first branch.
This species when grown in the open forms a large oval head, and in
moist soil would make one of the best shade and roadside trees to be
had. It is not known how it would adapt itself to high ground, but it
is believed this species is worthy a trial as a shade tree. It is
apparently hardy in the northern counties.
=Quercus Bèadlei= Trelease. (_Quercus alba × Michauxii_). This hybrid
between the white and cow oak was found by the writer in 1913 in the
White River bottoms 3 miles east of Medora in Jackson County.
The tree measured 3.54 meters (139 inches) in circumference breast high.
Specimens were distributed under No. 19,037, and the determination was
made by William Trelease, our leading authority on oaks.
=5.= =Quercus Prìnus= Linnæus. (_Quercus montana_ Willdenow of some
recent authors). Chestnut Oak. Plate 44. Medium to large sized tree;
bark dark, tight, deeply fissured, the furrows wide, and the ridges
continuous; leaves on petioles 1-3 cm. long, 1-2 dm. long, obovate to
lanceolate, those growing in the shade usually the widest, rounded at
the base, usually narrowly so or even wedge-shaped, short or long
taper-pointed at the apex, the apex blunt, margins coarsely and nearly
regularly crenate-toothed, the teeth broad and rounded, dark green above
at maturity, a lighter and usually a yellow or grayish green beneath,
only slightly hairy above when young, soon becoming entirely glabrate,
very pubescent beneath when young and usually remaining so until
maturity; petioles, midrib and primary veins beneath are usually
conspicuously yellow, which is a distinctive character of this species;
acorns solitary or in pairs, on short stalks usually about 1 cm. long,
sometimes sessile; nuts large ovoid or oblong-ovoid, 2-3 cm. long,
enclosed generally for about 1/3 their length in a thin cup; scales with
triangular blunt tips, generally somewhat tuberculate and pubescent on
the back; kernel sweet.
=Distribution.=--Maine, northern shore of Lake Erie, to west central
Indiana and south to northern Georgia and Alabama. In Indiana its
distribution is limited to the knobstone and sandstone area of the
State. Its distribution has been fairly well mapped. Two large trees on
the edge of the top of the bluff of the Ohio River at Marble Hill which
is located in the south corner of Jefferson County is the eastern limit
of its range. It crowns some of the ridges, sometimes extending down the
adjacent slopes a short distance, from Floyd County north to the south
side of Salt Creek in Brown County. Its range then extends west to the
east side of Monroe County, thence southwestward to the west side of
Martin County, thence south to the Ohio River. Where it is found it is
generally such a common tree that the areas are commonly called chestnut
oak ridges and are regarded as our poorest and most stony land. In Floyd
and Clark counties it is usually associated with scrub pine. In the
remainder of its range it is generally associated with black jack post
and black oaks. In our area this species is never found closely
associated with limestone, and reports of this species being found on
limestone areas should be referred to _Quercus Muhlenbergii_.
[Illustration: Plate 44.